The present invention generally relates to methods of producing agricultural prescription maps (referred to as prescriptions). More particularly, this invention relates to aerial imaging of agricultural fields and plants growing therein to determine nutrient availability in the soil and plant nutrient requirements of the plants during growth.
The term “agricultural prescription” generally refers to planting rates, fertilizer rates (e.g., nitrogen, foliar feeds), etc. that may be recommended for various locations within a given agriculture (crop) field following an assessment of conditions within the field so that growing conditions can be optimized to promote crop production. Basic parameters for building a precise agricultural prescription for a field include locations (e.g., identifying locations in the field for planting, fertilization, etc.) and quantities (e.g., identifying the amounts of fertilizer to be applied). While various methods exist for determining quantities in general, it is believed that the location parameter is often neglected. For example, SSURGO soil maps (soil survey maps available from the National Resources Conservation Service) and yield history may provide generalized, incomplete, and/or unreliable information. Reliance on such information to produce prescriptions may yield inaccurate or less than optimal results.
Using fertilization prescriptions as an example, throughout many years of testing and prior history, the ability to determine nitrogen contents and mineralization rates of various soil types within a given field has been very elusive and time consuming. There are numerous existing methods intended to determine available nitrogen content in a soil sample, but little or no reliable methods for determining where the sample should be taken in a field. This commonly requires that soil samples are taken in random locations of the field with poor results.
In view of the above, it can be appreciated that there is an ongoing desire to improve the accuracy of agricultural prescriptions, and that it would be particularly desirable if systems and methods were available for identifying specific locations within a field for testing and/or monitoring parameters that can be used in the production of the prescriptions.